US1070898A - Potato-planter. - Google Patents

Description

0. KNOERZER.

POTATO PLANTEP.. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

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O. KNOERZBR.

' POTATO PLANTER APPLIoATroN FILED JUNE 12, 1912.

.Patented Aug. '19, 1913.

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0. KNOERZBR.

POTATO PLANTEB..

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 12, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

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IWITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO KNOERZER, 0F HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO CHAMPION POTATO MA- CHINERY COMPANY, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

POTATO-PLANTER.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, OTTo KNOERZER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Planters, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to potato planters and has for its main object the production of a potato planter capable of successfully handling seed potatoes in any of the peculiar conditions to which they are subject.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means whereby individual seed potatoes may be selected from the whole mass and dropped directly into the furrow, or if desired dropped to a star wheel or winged feed wheel, where corrections may be made by hand and thereafter dropped into the furrow by the action of said wheel.

Another object is to provide automatic means for agitating or jarring a certain elevato-r chain, (which raises the seed potatoes into position to be discharged into the delivery chute) and thereby shake oftl the eX- cess potatoes, thus insuring the delivery of but one seed potato at a time.

Another object is to provide a potato planter capable of being handled by but one attendant when the seed potatoes are in suitable condition, but arranged so that two attendants may be employed to effect the successful operation of the machine, when the seed potatoes are in a condition difficult to handle.

Other objects and advantages will occur' in the co-urse of this specification and with all of said objects and advantages in view, this invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and particularly defined in the claims. j

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings furnished herewith, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a potato planter embodying one form of the invention, certain parts thereof being illustrated in dotted lines, to more clearly illustrate the present invention, Fig. 2 is a view of certain parts seen in Fig. 1, the view being partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail central longitudinal section of the elevating and feed mechanism taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4E, Fig. 4t is a plan of the parts seen in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, Fig. 6

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 12, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19,1913. Serial No. 703,127.

is a detail vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3, Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3, Fig. 8 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 9 is a fragmental transverse section of the housing seen in Figs. to 6, but showing a dierent form of deflecting plate used in connection therewith.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings 10, designates the seed box of a planter, which box is supported upon side frames 11, carried by wheels 12, that are fast upon a shaft or axle 13, which is journaled in bearings carried by the side frames 11. The planter is provided with the usual furrow openers 15, fertilizer mechanism 16, covering disks 17, and their supports, and as these parts form no particular part of the present invention, they will not be described in detail in this specication. The seed boX 10, has a downwardly tapering hopper-like bottom 18, at the lower end of which is an arc shaped conduit 19, substantially circular in cross section and terminating in an opening 20, (see Figs. 3 and 5). Extending through bearing brackets 21, secured to said bottom 18, is a transversely extending shaft 22, concentrically arranged with respect to the conduit 19, and driven from the shaft 13, of the supporting wheels of the planter. The means for driving said shaft 22, may comprise a gear wheel 23, fast upon the shaft 13, and a pinion 21, fast upon an extension 25, of t-he shaft 22. As shown, the inner end of the shaft eXtension 25, is squared and fits in a square hole in the end of a sprocket wheel 25a, which is employed to drive certain other mechanical parts of the planter and is secured to one end of the shaft 22. The outer end of the shaft 25, is slidably carried in a slot formed in one side frame 11, and is held in position by a link 26, and a hand lever 27, and segment 27a. The object of this arrangement'is to enable the pinion 24, to be removed from its shaft and another one of diiferent diameter to be placed thereon in its stead for timing the elevating and feed mechanism.

At the top of the flaring bottom portion 18, of the seed boX is a rearwardly extending table 28, above the forward end of which is a housing 29, forming the upper part. of a delivery chute, through which the seed potatoes are dropped one after the other by the elevating mechanism hereinafter described; said housing is preferably made of two substantially similar halves 29a, 29, bolted together along the middle line of the housing. The housing is open at its top, bottom and front, the latter extending in an oblique, rearwardly inclined direction, and being part-ly closed by flanges 30, which terminate somewhat below the top of the housing. At a point below the top of the flanges 30, the front is formed with transverse approximately horizontal flanges 3l, that extend at right angles to the flanges 30, and below said transverse flanges the housing is formed with parallel side walls 32, whose forward edges are approximately parallel with the oblique front of the housing. Yieldingly supported above the said flanges 3l, is a sprocket wheel 33, carried by a shaft 3d, mounted in a bracket 35, having a downwardly extending post 3G, which is guided in a central perforation in the meeting edges of the flanges 3l. Between the bottom of said bracket 35, and top of the `flanges 3l, is a coiled compression spring 37, which acts to yieldingly support the bracket 35, and sprocket. wheel carried thereby. Said bracket is formed with two grooved lugs 38, cach of which embraces one of the flanges 30, of the housing (see Figs. t, 5 and 6) to guide the upper end of the bracket in a line substantially parallel with the oblique front of the housing', the lower end is guided by the post sliding in the hole in the flanges 31.

The shaft 22, bears a sprocket wheel 39, immediately above the conduit opening 20, and trained around said sprocket wheels 33, 39, is a sprocket chain 4:0, certain of the links of which are formed with seed cups lll, of the general contour seen in Figs. 3 and 4, which cups are adapted to lift the seed potatoes from the seed box and discharge them one after the other into-the housino' 29, from which they are thereafter delivered to the furrow. ln general said seed cups are substantially circular' in plan and taper some.

what toward their bottom portions, where they are preferably perforated.

It will be observed that by reason of the arc shaped conduit 19, at the bottom of the seed box and by reason of the proper spacing of the seed cups, no gate or closure is required at the entrance opening to the bottom of the seed box, for the reason that at least one of said seed cups at a time occupies a position in said arc shaped conduit, the one cup entering said passage at or just before the preceding one leaves the same, so that there is no danger of any of the seed potatoes escaping through the opening in the bottom of the seed box.

To preventI more than one seed potato being carried up in any given seed cup, l provide an agitator, here shown as compris ing a vibratory arm 4.22, pivoted upon one of the bolts 43a, that fastens the two halves of the housing together. Said arm extends upwardly between the side walls 32, of the housing and is formed with a head 43, that projects forward into the path of the cross bars of the links of the sprocket chain. The lower end of the arm is forked as shown in F ig. G, and encircling said bolt 4-3 between the arms of the fork is a coiled spring Att, one end of which engages with the rear of the arm 4t2, and the other end engages with the bottom of the seed box, said spring acts to yieldingly press the upper end of the arm lf2, toward the sprocket chain. lt is evident that as the links of the sprocket chain pass by the head i-3, of the arm 42, the cross bars of the links force the arm back against the action of the spring, but said spring throws the head back again. against the chain, thus rattling or vibrating the same, and shakin g olf any potatoes that may have lodged on the seed potato in the cup. To regulate the intensity of the stroke, n eans are provided for limiting the movement of said arm in a direction toward the chain, and said means are here shown as comprising a bolt 4:5, which extends through oblique slots 4G in the side walls of the housing and against which said arm strikes. The threaded end of said bolt bears a. nut, and by unscrewing said nut, raising said bolt in the slots 46a, and tightening up the nut, the forward movement of the arm 4t2, is thereby restricted. lVhile the function of the agitator is to jar the chain and dislodge any seed potatoes that may have lodged over the one in the seed' cup, under certain conditions it is necessary to jar the chain more than at other times. This may be accomplished by proper adjustment of the bolt 45.

The table QS, has a circular flange 4G, projecting upward from its upper surface, and rotatively mounted in the space surrounded by said `flange is a star wheel or winged feed wheel f4.7, which may be geared to rotate in svnchronisin with the movement of the sprocket chain. Said wheel is here shown as comprising' a central, downwardly flanged disk 418, formed with radial vertical wings 49, projecting out from the flange of the disk 43. A vertically and downwardly extending shaft 50, secured to said wheel 417, is j )i'iinaled in a downwardly extending boss 5l, formed on the lower side of the table 28, and in a bearing bracket carried by said table QS. A beveled gear wheel 53, mounted upon said shaft 50, near its lower end meshes with a bevel-ed. pinion 54.-, mounted upon a counter shaft 55, jonrnaled in the bracket 52, and in a bracket 5f, extending down from the table 23. rlhe other end of said counter shaft bears a beveled pinion 5T, which meshes with a bevel piuion 5S, mounted on one end of the shaft (see Fig. 2). l have shown the shaft as capable of a limited amount of horizontal movement whereby the beveled pinions 5l 58, may be thrown into or out of mesh and as shown, the means for effecting said movement of the shaft 55, comprises a bearing block 59, in which is journaled the shaft 55, said block being slidably mounted in an opening in the head 60, of the bearing bracket 56, and held in position therein by means of set screws 6l, threaded in the head and bearing against the sides of the block. By unscrewing one set screw and screwing up the other set screw, the block may be moved from one side to the other of the opening in the head whereby the shaft s correspondingly moved, thereby throwing the beveled pinions 57, 5S, into or out of mesh as the case may be.

The housing 29,partly overhangs the feed wheel. 4:7, and the lower end of said housing, adjacent the feed wheel, is cut away to permit the feed wheel to rotate thereunder. An opening- 62, is formed in thc table 28, below the overhanging portion of said housing 29, the major portion of said opening being to one side of the vertical center of the housing, and the section 29a, of said housing is formed at its lower end with an outwardly and downwardly curved portion 63, that overhangs and covers the opening 62, in the table 2S. The section 29h, has a late-ral discharge opening 65, and opposite said opening is a detlecting plate 64e, (see Figs. 3, et, and 5) which is secured to the inner face of the section 29a, of the housing as shown, and said plate projects over the opening 62, and toward the bottom of the opening 65, whereby when said deliecting plate 64, is used, any seed potatoes dropped upon it. will be discharged through the lat-eral opening 65, and upon the plat-form 2S, between two wings ofthe feed wheel. A gate 66, is hung' in said opening 65, and arrests the seed potato as it passes said opening 65, whereby there may be no tendency for it to roll outl of the pocket formed by two adjacent wings of the feed wheel and the flanged table 2S. Said gate is shown in the drawings as comjn'ising a number of chains placed side by side and secured to the section 29h, at the top of the opening' 65. rlhe elevator chain and feed wheel are so timed with respect to each other that when a seed potato is thrown into the housing 29, (after having been carried up by the elevator chain) and falls to the table 2S, one of the pockets form-ed by the wings of the feed wheel and table is in position to receive such seed potato, after which it is carried around by said feed wheel until that pocket registers with the opening 62, in the table, whereupon said seed potato is free to drop into the lower portion 67, of t-he delivery chute, through which it falls into the furrow. `vVith the use of the feed wheel 4T, the attendant may readily observe if the several pockets are properly lled with seed potatoes and if not, may make corrections by placing a seed potato in an empty pocket, and if more than one happens to be in a pocket he may remove one and thereafter place it in an empty pocket.

Owing to the peculiar conditions of seed potatoes, it is sometimes possible to drop them regularly without the aid of the feed wheel 47, and in such cases the gearing between the feed wheel shaft 50, and shaft 22, may be disconnected and a different defleeting' plate substituted for the one shown in Figs. 3, 4L and 5. In this case t-he plate 611, is detached from the housing` and a` substitute plate 64a, employed, (see F ig. 9) which is secured to the inner side of the section 29h, of the housing, as for instance by means of bolts and nuts 64!J and said deflecting plate 64a, lies in a more upright position than does the plate 64, being arranged to direct the seed potatoes directly to the opening 62, instead of projecting them out through the lateral opening 65. 1n this case it is necessary, of course, to turn the feed wheel 4-7, into position where the potatoes are free to fall between two of its wings.

For convenience I have illustrated two seats 68, 69, for accommodating two attendants, the one seat 66, being supported from the table 28, by a bracket 70, secured to the table, and the seat 69, being supported at the front end of the machine. lVhen the use of the feed wheel 4:7, is necessary, one of the attendants sits upon the seat 69, and drives the horses, whereas the other attendant sits upon the seat 68, and makes the necessary correct-ions in t-he feed wheel.

The operation of the machine is readily apparent from the above description.

The forward motion of the machine causes the elevator chain to be moved in a direction to pick up seed potatoes from the seedbox, raise them to the top of the housing and discharge them into the latter, and when the feed wheel 4:7, is used, they are discharged laterally by means of the plate 6%, into an adjacent pocket on the table 28. The feed wheel is rotated through the instrumentality of the gearing between its shaft and the shaft 22, thereby carrying" the seed potatoes around until. they fall, one by one, through the opening 62, in the table, from which they are conducted to the furrow by the delivery chute 67. 1n case it is found that the seed potatoes clog and hang together the agitator is allowed to strike the chain more violently, whereas if the potatoes seem to be quite free of each other, the bolt 45, is raised sufhciently to prevent such violent agitation of the chain. 1f it is found that the seed is in' such condition that planting is free and regular, the deflecting plate 64, may be detached and the plate 64a, secured to the housing to take its place,

and the pinions 57, 5S, thrown out ot mesh, whereupon the potatoes will be dropped directly from the elevator into the delivery chute, without Vrst passing around upon the table tor correct-ion.

I realize that various alterations and modifications ot this device are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention, and l do not thereitore desire to limit myself to the exact term or construction shown and described.

l claim as new and desire to secure by `Letters Patent:

l. ik potato planter ont the class described, in which is combined a seed box, a seed elevating chain having seed cups thereon, and extending up from said seed box, a delivery chute into which said chain discharges the seed, said chute having a lateral opening intermediate its ends, and a detlecting plate opposite said opening and arranged to defleet the seed outl through said lateral opening, a iced wheel rotatable across said delivery chute below said lateral opening and detlecting plate, and adapted to receive the seed from said deliecting plate, and carry the saine around to the chute at a point below the de'tlecting plate.

2. A. potato planter of the class described, in which combined a seed box, a seed elevating chain having seed cups thereon, and extending up from said seed box, a delivery7 chute into which said elevating chain discharges the seed, said chute having a direct passage theretlneugh, and a lateral opening" intermediate its ends, a teed wheel rotatable across said delivery chute below said lateral opening therein and a detlecting plate removably secured in said chute over said feed wheel and adapted to detlect the seed. out through said lateral opening to the feed wheel, said detlecting plate being capable ot removal to permit the seed to tall directly through said chute.

3. A potato planter of the class described, in which combined a seed box, a seed elevating chain having seed cups thereon, and extending up from said seed bon, a drive sha't'tand sprocket thereon 'for driving` said elevating chain, a delivery chute into which said chain discharges the seed, said chute having a lateral opening intermediate its ends and a. detiecting plate opposite said opening and arranged to deflect the seed out through said lateral opening, a feed wheel rotatable across said delivery chute below said lateral opening and detlecting plate, and. adapted to receive the seed from said dcllecting plate, and carry the same around to the chute at a point below the deflect-ing plate., a. vertical shalt secured to said leed wheel, and a counter shait't geared to said drive shaft and vertical shaft,

i. ln a potato planter of the class described, in which is combined a delivery chute having a direct passage therethrough and a lateral opening in its side, a removable deflecting plate in said chute opposite said lateral opening and arranged to deflect seed out through said lateral opening, and a plurality of linked members secured to said chute and hanging across said lateral opening, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a potato planter ot the class described, in which is combined a seed box, a support having two sides projecting up therefrom, upper and lower sprocket wheels, the upper one of which is carried by said support and the lower one of which is a driven one, a sprocket chain, trained around said sprocket wheels, and having seed cups formed on certain of its links, an agitator arm pivotally mounted between the sides ot said support and having on its free end a head arranged in the path of movement of the chain, and a spring for swinging said arm against the chain.

6. In a potato planter' of the class de scribed, in which is combined a seed box, a support therein and extending up therefrom, a sprocket chain traveling along saidsupport, and having seed cups termed on certain of its links, an agitator arm pivotally mounted on said support and having a head arranged to contact with the cross bars of said chain, said arm being spring pressed in a direction toward the chain, a boltsecured in said support in position to limit the movement of the arm toward the chain, and means tor varying the position of said boltwith respect to said chain, whereby the force of the blow against the chain may be regulated.

7. ln a potato planter' of the class described, in which is combined a seed box, a housing supported therein, an upper sprocket wheel carried by said housing, a lower driven sprocket wheel at the bottom of said seed box, a sprocket chain trained over said sprocket wheels, and having seed cups formed on certain of its links, a spring pressed agitator arm, pivotally mounted on said housing and having a head adapted to enter the link openings ot said chain and strike against the cross bars thereof and a bolt adjustably secured in oblique slots in the housing in liront of said agitator arm, and arranged to limit its stroke.

ln witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Hammond, Lake county, lndiana, this 6th day of J u ne 1912.

OTTO KNOERZER. litnesses:

C. H. LASATER, LEONARD Knonrznu.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '.D. C.

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